DONE@p.4 +++ 1:72 Douglas P-70C "NightHawk", USAAF, England, late 1944

[Wardukw]

Didn't Airfix do one too?

Yup a kit I was quite fond of. One of my first "conversions" as a kid, I converted it to a solid nose version by painting over the clear one 

Well they sorta did that in RL Chris but backwards 
They'd paint a solid nose to look like a glazed one..to fool  figthers into doing head one attacks.

[Dizzyfugu]

Work made some progress. The nose went through 2nd PSR (pic added in earlier post in context), the interior was pimped with a dashboard in the cockpit and a floor, seat and dashboard in the rear cabin which replaces the turret. I was also lucky to find a suitable clear cover for that area - IIRC it's the observer's glazing from an Airfix Ki-46.  Some cuts and mods, and it should fit and even blend well into the A-20's spine. More lead was added under the cockpit floor, too, you never know.


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


I also started with thoughts/work on the wings. Since the B-26 R-2800s come with characteristic air scoops for the oil coolers and a carburettor intake already integrated into the cowling I decided to get rid of the R-2600s' scoops on the top of the wings. More work for just a simple detail, but I hope that it will create a cleaner (and faster) look in the long run and make the nacelles look less massive. The scoops were cut out and filled with 2C putty, with the benefit that I now have a hand-made rib structure inside of the landing gear wells. They were then fine-PSRed with Presto.


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The R-2800s' exhausts already cause headaches, too. I will probably crave some openings into the nacelle walls for collector openings.

[Wardukw]

Ya see Dizz all the work your doing to yours is giving me ideas for mine 

I like how yours is going and I suspect that's it's gonna look great when finished..like normal with you  😁

[Dizzyfugu]

It's like changing a tire on a moving car, but so far my ideas worked out. I am just a little disappointed by the nose, because it looks so much like a simply overpainted bombardier nose. I expected the Meteor radome to be more pronounced, but I guess I will leave it that way, or at least wait until the nose section has been mated with the rest of the fuselage.

[Wardukw]

I've had issues like that in the past with builds..especially with main gun upgrades in tanks..ya have a idea in the noggin on what's it's going to look like and then ya put it on and the look just ain't there yet you expected to be just right...it's annoying just that's where's our skills come in Diz .
I'm gonna have modify the nose on mine as I want a 6 to 8 gun nose..not the 4 which the kit has .
I might  keep the scoops but that's a maybe for the mo.

[Dizzyfugu]

Does you kit have the four 20 mm guns in the nose, or 0.5" machuine guns? Some Havocs also had their lower machine guns mounted, foa a total of six.

BTW., late news with some progress around the wings and the nacellesm with the "home made" ribbed structure inside of the wings:

by [url="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dizzyfugu/"]Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Wardukw]

Just looked at the kit again Diz..this I REALLY looked at it this time 
I have the options for either 6x .50cals or 4 x 20mm and 2 x .50cals but it seems only the very early versions had the 4 20s in em ..so happy this is wiffy world   
But now I have the questions in my head..converting this to 8 x .50cals is more destructive firepower then 4 x 20mms and 2 50s
The 4 Hispano cannon had a good rate of fire of up to 700rpm but being drum fed or belt ya still ain't going to carry a heap of ammo but with 8 AN-M2 .50s at 850rpm letting rip that's 6800rpm going down range..that will bugger any thing this plane would shoot at.
One other thing im think about is a quad 20mm gun pack under the bomb bay and rockets on the wings...turning it into a pure attack aircraft.

[buzzbomb]

Zooooom !

Well underway again at the normal swift progress pace.
Nice plan, be interested to see how it finishes up

[Dizzyfugu]

The fuselage halves have been closed now, and the nose was grafted on, too. It looks so normal.... 


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Ventral gun pack, half of a drop tank from a Sword F3J:


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The engines, procured from two different Matchbox B-26 kits. The engine blocks were partyl "blocked" by broken propeller axis', so these had to be drilled out and I inserted styrene tubes.


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


They were - inspired by the F4U's arrangement - mounted upside down, with the air scoops underneath, so that they are not so prominent and loose the Marauder-esque look. Some PSR necessary to bridge the intersection with the larger(!) nacelles.


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Latest development: wings and fuselage have been mated. The R-2800s work well, they are more slender (and smaller in diameter!) than the clunky OOB R-2600s:


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[jcf]

Interesting. 

The R-2800 has a smaller diameter than the R-2600 and most installations are neater, and more closely cowled,
than those of the R-2600*. Evidently Pratt & Whitney worked more closely with the airframe manufacturers than
Curtiss-Wright did when it came to designing engine installations.

* The Grumman F6F being an exception because it was originally designed around the R-2600. This was one of
the things cleaned up when they designed the F8F. The P-47 is deceptive because of the depth of the cowling,
which is driven by the intake to the turbosupercharger. The engine itself is actually fairly tightly cowled, which
can be seen on the XP-47J with the cutback turbo intake. 

[Wardukw]

It's a plane now Diz   

[Dizzyfugu]

The belly of the beast:


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Still a lot of PSR on the way, and I will sooner or later have to work on the cockpits, painting figures and trying to make the (rear) canopy fit... 

[Dizzyfugu]

Interesting. 

The R-2800 has a smaller diameter than the R-2600 and most installations are neater, and more closely cowled,
than those of the R-2600*. Evidently Pratt & Whitney worked more closely with the airframe manufacturers than
Curtiss-Wright did when it came to designing engine installations.

It's just 2" smaller, but the Matchbox kit's cowlings and the engine blocks are totally exagerrated, "bulbous" is a good description. I must check if I have a B-25 cowling somewhere for direct comparison.

[Dizzyfugu]

Just for reference, the Matchbox A-20's R-2600 cowlings and those from an Italeri B-25:



[url="https://flic.kr/p/2oSza34"]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

More progress, thnaks to a lazy Sunday at home.

Inside both cockpits I covered and created the respective rear bulkhead with paper tissue dipped in white glue (still white here).


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The P-47 props received their metal axles and were dry-fitted: they fit and will probably not require clipped tips! 


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Cabins have been populated...


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

...and the canopies closed. The cockpit's clear part was not much of a problem, as it was expected to fit (note the extra guns from an Italeri B-25, firepower galore!), the Ki-46 piece over the rear cabin is more demanding, at the moment I try to fill the worst gaps with putty, so that everything is stabilized. Needs to dry thoroughly, though, so that PSR in this delicate area will take some time.


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Douglas P-70C 'Nighthawk' (What-if/modified Matchbox kit) WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr